Venetian blind



y 15, 1951 R. J. CHARBONNEAU 2,552,841

VENETIAN BLIND Filed Feb. 9, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ems-=1 I N V EN TOR.KOBE/Q2 54 /v flaked/slam: u

' EMm & PM

May 15, 1951 R. J. CHARBONNEAU VENETIAN BLIND 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledFeb. 9, 1949 INVENTOR. 05.99? J54 Cimkeamvao A TTUINi/J Patented May 15,1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VENETIAN BLIND Robert Jean Charbonneau,Detroit, Mich.

Application February 9, 1949, Serial N 0. 75,397

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in Venetian blinds.

The invention is concerned primarily with Venetian blind operatingmechanism having specific reference to the rotatable tilt shaft assemblywhich includes the shaft itself, the mountings for the ladder-like slatsupporting tapes, which mountings are carried by the shaft, the mountingof the lift pulleys over which the lift cords travel, which mounting iscoupled with the shaft, and the mountings whereby the tilt cords areconnected with the shaft.

An object is to provide a Venetian blind assembly of the characterdescribed which is simple, inexpensive, employs a minimum number ofparts, is of a strong and rugged construction, may be quickly mounted inposition or removed therefrom, and is easy to operate.

My improved Venetian blind assembly eliminates the conventional headrail which normally carries the lift pulleys over which the lift cordspass. It eliminates the conventional cylindrical rollers to which theslat carrying ladder-like tapes are normally connected.

An object of my invention is the provision of an improved Venetian blindsub-assembly which consists of a rotatably supported shaft having fiatplates mounted thereon to which plates the slat carrying tapes areconnected and having lift pulleys mounted thereon in association withthe plates which lift pulleys have limited swingable movement about theshaft and limited movement lengthwise over the shaft between the ends ofthe plates. My tilt cords are so coupled with the shaft that a smallamount of movement of the cords are sufficient to tilt the shaft toshift the slats from the open to the closed position and vice versa.

Other objects, advantages, and meritorious features of the inventionwill more fully appear from the following specification, claims andaccompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation, partly broken away, of the Venetian blindassembly embodying my invention and mounted within a window open- Fig. 2is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 4--4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 65 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line l-l of Fig. 6.

In the drawing, a window opening is indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 asdefined by a pair of upright jarnb members it surmounted by a headermember it. My Venetian blind assembly is shown as supported by a pair ofend brackets M and 16 secured by screws or the like to the jamb memberstil. To finish off the assembly I provide a cornice board l 8 which maybe supported by the brackets in any suitable manner. The cornice boardand its support forms no part of this invention.

The bracket M is provided with a part 20 adapted to serve as a supportfor one end of the tilt shaft assembly hereinafter described. Thebracket l 5 is bent into angular and channel form and is provided with aportion 22 which is notched as at 24 to provide a seat for one end ofthe tilt shaft. One end of the tilt shaft may, therefore, be insertedthrough an opening in the bearing member 29 of the bracket I l and theopposite end of the tilt shaft may be dropped into the notch 2:1 of thebracket 16. The tilt shaft proper is indicated as 26.

The complete Venetian blind assembly .includes the usual slat supportingtapes 28 which carry slats 3E. The tapes are in the conventionalladder-like construction whereby the slats are supported therebetween. Atilt cord 32 is provided and coupled with the shaft in a mannerhereinafter described to oscillate the shaft to tilt the slats. Thistilt cord extends through an eye 36 carried by the bracket I4. Liftcords 36 are provided and connected in the usual manner with the slatsto lift the same. These lift cords extend over a pulley 38 carried bybracket l6 and are held at adjusted positions by a swingable dog it.This structure is conventional.

My invention pertains particularly to the tilt shaft assembly whichincludes the tilt shaft 26 heretofore referred to and the partsassociated therewith. This tilt shaft is flatted lengthwise along itsupper face as at 42 as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. A pair of fiat metalplates 44 are mounted upon the shaft 26 to rotate therewith. Theseplates are spaced apart upon the shaft and spaced from the ends thereof.Each plate is cut out as shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 5 so as to be en gagedwith the shaft to rotate with the shaft but to expose a portion of theshaft below the plate as illustrated particularly in Fig. 4. Each platehas a securing part 46 held thereto by a screw 48,

Figs. 2 and .4, and which is adapted to engage the flat side 42 of theshaft 26 to hold the plate to rotate with the shaft. The plates areadjustable lengthwise upon the shaft. The screws may be tightened downat any time to secure the plates to the shaft.

Each plate is provided with a pair of tape securing fingers 56 to whichthe looped ends of the tapes 3d are adapted to be fastened, as shown inFig. 5. The looped ends of the tapes are indicated by the numeral 52 inFig. 5. Each finger projects upwardly spaced above the plate as shown inFig. 4 and extends lengthwise of the shaft and is provided at its freeend with an angular lug 54, as shown in Fig. 2, which serves to retainthe tape thereon when the tape has been passed over the finger.

Each plate is bumped up intermediate its ends as at 56 to exposetherebelow a portion of the shaft between the ends of the plate asparticularly shown in Figs. 4 and 5. A pulley frame 58 is mounted uponthis exposed portion of the shaft. This pulley frame carries a pulleyroller -60 as shown in Fig. 5. Such pulley is mounted upon theexposed'portion of the shaft to have permitted swingable oscillationrotatably of the shaft as limited by the plate. Such pulley is mountedupon the shaft so as to have limited lengthwise movement over the shaftbetween the ends of the plate. This limited swingable movement of thepulleys permits them to hang vertically at any position of tilt of theshaft. The limited lengthwise play of the pulleys over the shaft limitsthem to accommodate themselves so that the lift cords will at all timesextend vertically in the raising and lowering of the blind slats.

In order to tilt the shaft assembly there is mounted upon the shaft 2% agrooved pulley 52. This pulley 52 is secured to the shaft by means of ascrew 64 which engages the fiat side of the shaft as shown in Fig. 8.This pulley is provided with a peripheral groove as shown. The oppositeends of the tilt cord extend through the groove in the pulley and areanchored to the pulley as shown in Fig. 3 as at 66, diametricallyopposite each other whereby the pulleys and consequentl the shaft may berotated in either direction by pulling one or the other of these tiltcords. Each cord is adapted to swing the pulley through substantiallyone half of a complete revolution at which point the cord arrives at thebottom of the arc of rotation of the pulley and further movement stops;A very small amount of movement, therefore, is sufiicient to tilt theslats from an open to a closed position and vice versa.

This tilt shaft assembly is of simple construction and all the parts aremounted on the shaft. The pulleys are so associated with the tape 4carrying plates that the lift cords always operate along a vertical linewith a small amount of effort being required to actuate them to raisethe slats. The pulleys accommodate'themselves to hang vertically at anytilted position of the shaft.

What I claim is:

1. In a Venetian blind, a shaft rotatably supported for oscillation, apair of flat plates mounted upon the shaft to oscillate therewith, eachplate having a pair of tape anchoring fingers extending lengthwisethereof upon opposite sides of the shaft, a pair of slat supportingtapes, a plurality of slats supported upon the tapes, said pair of tapesconnected at their ends to the two tape anchoring fingers of the twoplatesfor tilting of the slats upon ro- 1 tatable oscillation of theshaft, each plate having a part intermediate its ends bumped out of theplane of the plate spaced above the shaft exposing that portion of theshaft below said bumped out portion, a pair of lift pulleys one for eachplate, each lift pulley comprising a U- shaped frame supporting a pulleywheel between its two arms, the U-frame of each pulley looped over theshaft below the bumped out portion of a plate for swingable movementabout the shaft, the U-frame of each pulley having a width less than thelength of the bumped out portion of the plate whereby said pulley framehas permitted slidable adjustment lengthwise over the shaft underneaththe bumped out portion of the plate and lift cords extending over thepulleys and downwardly through the slats connected therewith to lift theslats.

2., A Venetian blind assembly of the character defined in claim numbered1 characterized in that the shaft is flatted on one side extendinglengthwise thereof and each plate has'a portion adjacent each end offsetlaterally, the plane of the plate forming end seats for the shaft andeach plate has the portion between said end seats offset, the plane ofthe plate in the opposite direction forming an intermediate seat for theshaft, said intermediate offset portion having a part offset to agreater extent and constituting said bumped out portion spaced above theshaft.

ROBERT JEAN CHARBONNEAU.

7 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file oft is patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name 7 Date 2,058,159 Kuyper Oct. 20, 19362,127,330 Findell Aug. 16, 1938 2,190,884 Rosenstein Feb. 20, 19402,334,132 Sherwood Nov. 9, 1943 2,409,821 Albrecht Oct. 22, 1946

